Phage therapy minimally affects the water microbiota in an Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) rearing system while still preventing infection.

ABSTRACT: Excessive usage of antibiotics threatens the bacterial diversity in the microbiota of animals. An alternative to antibiotics that has been suggested to not disturb the microbiota is (bacterio)phage therapy. In this study, we challenged germ-free and microbially colonized yolk sac fry of Atlantic salmon with Flavobacterium columnare and observed that the mere presence of a microbiota protected the fish against lethal infection. We then investigated the effect of phage- or oxytetracycline treatment on fish survival and rearing water bacterial community characteristics using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Phage treatment led to an increased survival of F. columnare-challenged fish and reduced the relative amounts of the pathogen in the water microbiota. In the absence of F. columnare, pha

SUBMITTER: Fiedler AW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10628140 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature